Summary
- VH-EBB made a record-setting 20-hour flight from Toulouse to Melbourne on the A330.
- Qantas received VH-EBB in 2003, operated by Jetstar, and retired in 2014.
- Qantas favors the Airbus A330 for regional flights due to capacity, economy, and range.
On Christmas Eve in 2003, Qantas made the world’s first longest flight on an Airbus A330-200 from Toulouse, France, to Melbourne, Australia. The delivery flight for the Australian flag carrier’s second A330-200 registered VH-EBB took over 20 hours.
A Christmas delivery
VH-EBB – christened Albany by Qantas – rolled off the Airbus production line in Toulouse and traveled 20 hours and four minutes to Melbourne, reaching speeds of up to 537 miles per hour (865 km/h) and flying 10,507 miles (16,910km). This set the record for the fastest speed between Toulouse and Melbourne. The flight arrived on December 25 with four Qantas pilots at the controls, carrying 12 passengers.
Photo: PomInOz | Shutterstock
On January 10, 2003, the aircraft entered Qantas’ domestic service. Three years later, VH-EBB was operated by Jetstar Airways, a low-cost subsidiary of Qantas. In May 2014, it was returned to Qantas before retiring after nearly twenty years in service.
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The land down under
Qantas A330-200 configuration:
- Layout 1: 28 Business | 243 Economy seats
- Layout 2: 27 Business | 224 Economy seats
- Layout 3: 26 Business | 208 Economy seats.
Australia – a large continent relatively far from many countries – requires aircraft that can provide a long-range (interesting nugget: Australia is responsible for 11% (20 million square nautical miles/51.7 million square kilometers) of the world’s total airspace). At the turn of the century, when the aviation industry was increasingly pursuing non-stop flights, newer and more capable aircraft were sought.
Photo: ChameleonsEye | Shutterstock
Qantas selected the A330 for its domestic and regional routes as part of its fleet modernization plans because it offered the best economy for short sectors while having the range to operate longer direct flights to Asia.
The airline currently uses A330s on key domestic routes and on international flights between Australia and Asia, Hawaii, and New Zealand. Other Airbus aircraft in its fleet include the A320 and A380, which few airlines operate today.
Photo: Airbus
The addition of more Airbus types is in the pipeline, such as the A220 and A321XLR, which Qantas will use for its domestic routes. The flag carrier will also introduce the A350 on ultra-long-haul flights from Sydney to London and New York in late 2025.
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The A330 is a valuable force in Asia-Pacific. Despite often being overshadowed by the A350 around the globe, the twinjet has notably shown its worth in the region. Qantas is joined by China Southern, Cathay Pacific, China Eastern, Air China, Hainan Airlines, and Korean Air as operators of the type in the area.
According to Planespotters.net, Qantas has 16 Airbus A330-200s with an average age of 16.2 years and 10 A330-300s with an average age of 20 years in its fleet. The two aircraft types offer a combined capacity of just under 7,000 seats. The airline has retired four A330-200s in recent years. Even though Qantas has ordered A350s to replace its aging A330s, the latter remains an important fleet member for now.
Qantas currently operates six Airbus A380s, with an average age of 14.9 years. The other four super jumbos are parked and yet to resume service. The airline’s only other widebody aircraft is the Boeing 787-9. Qantas currently has 14 examples of the type, with an average age of just 5.4 years. The Dreamliner is used on most of its long-haul routes, particularly the Pacific routes to Europe and North America.
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Sustainability and the future
Qantas A330-200 specifications
Maximum take-off weight |
233,000kg/513,675lb |
---|---|
Wing span |
60.30m/197.8ft |
Overall length |
58.8m/188.7ft |
Vertical fin height |
17.4m/57.1ft |
Cabin width |
5.28m/17.32ft |
Wing area |
361.6m2/3892ft2 |
Average cruise speed |
880km/h (547mph) |
Cruise altitude |
28,000-39,000ft |
Maximum fuel capacity |
139,100l/36,750gal |
Range with full payload |
8,500km/5,300m |
Freight capacity |
13,000kg/28,700lb |
Volumetric payload |
36,000kg/79,400lb |
Maximum thrust |
320kN/72,000lb |
Engines |
General Electric CF6-80E1A3 |
At the time of its delivery, VH-EBB was not the only aircraft to have flown such great distances to Australia. Eleven years prior, Airbus pilots flew an A340-300 from Toulouse to Perth.
In the years that followed VH-EBB’s historic flight, Airbus achieved other milestones with its A330-200. In 2014, KLM flew the longest commercial flight on an A330-200 powered by sustainable jet fuels: a 20% blend of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) made from used cooking oil. The 10-hour flight took off from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, bound for the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba.
Today, ultra-long-haul flights have become common, like Singapore Airlines’ 10,729-mile (17,250-km) route between Singapore Changi Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. With the growing developments in air travel and aviation technology, we can only expect such routes to become increasingly available shortly.